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Feature
Ft. Pierce:
Police Chief Feels She Will Be Cleared Of Accusations
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last April, Tampa Police Major Diane Hobley-Burney retired to become the Chief of Police in Fort Pierce. Earlier this week, Chief Hobley-Bur- ney was placed on administra- tive pending the outcome of an investigation, according to Ed Cunningham, Public infor- mation Officer for the Fort Pierce Police Department.
“It happened last night (Tuesday, July 5th) about 6 p.m. She was placed on leave after a former employee wrote a letter to the City Commissioners com- plaining of mismanagement. The department is temporarily being managed by Deputy Chief Kenny Norris who also came here with Chief Hobley- Burney from Tampa. He will serve as Interim Chief until the outcome of the investigation.”
In the letter, former Chief Investigator Borthland (Bert) Murray stated Chief Hobley-Burney ordered him to investigate two people who had challenged the way she handled an officer-involved shooting. Murray alleged in the letter that Chief Hobley- Burney told him to find some way to criminally charge the two people, identified as Com- missioner Reginald Ses- sions and a private citizen, Rick Reed.
On April 24th, police con- ducted a traffic stop on the ve- hicle 21-year-old DeMarcus Semer was driving.
Witnesses stated that Semer was running with his hands in the air when he was shot. Investigators reportedly told the media that prior to the shooting, Semer had allegedly hit one officer with the vehicle
2013.
In a letter dated July 2, 2016, Borthland (Bert) Murray submitted a letter out- lining concerns he had with the leadership of Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney.
He wrote, “During the past year I have observed the sys- tematic deterioration of the of- ficers’ moral, disturbing trend of the misuse of executive power by the Chief of Police, the failure to investigate police vio- lations, and negligent intent.”
He outlined comments about Selective Enforcement; Misuse of Position: and Accred- itation Concerns.
Pertaining to the shooting, Murray wrote, “In the most re- cent police involved shooting, the same citizen and Commis- sioner Session publicly ex- pressed their dissatisfaction involving the shooting. I was di- rected by the Chief of Police to gather any and all information on the citizen and Commis- sioner Session to seek crimi- nal charges. This directive was further galvanized by Deputy Chief Armandro when he di- rected and stated to me to “make sure it’s something tan- gible” because this citizen and Commissioner Session ex-
pressed their concerns, the Chief of Police used the power of her office in an act of retribu- tion.
City Manager Mimms
while investigating the incident involving the Chief of Police’s threats towards the citizen, the Chief of Police was recalled stat- ing that if the City Manager comes after her, she was hold- ing a corruption charge to fire back at him; an allegation that the Chief of Police has been holding onto for several months as leverage against the City Manager.”
It should also be noted that Chief Investigator Murray resigned, effective June 30, 2016.
Chief’s Statement
When contacted by the
Sentinel, Chief Hobley- Burney said, “I am hurt and disappointed that someone whom I trusted would take such drastic steps to harm me. God has blessed me. God is with me and He is going to see me through this journey He sent me on.”
Chief Hobley-Burney
further stated that this is an open investigation and she is not at liberty to discuss the issue in more detail. However, she said, “I look forward to being vindicated.”
CHIEF DIANE HOBLEY-BURNEY
and dragged another officer during the traffic stop.
The officers involved in the shooting were identified as Ralph Keith Holmes, 42, and 39-year-old Sgt. Brian Lee MacNaught. Both offi- cers are 12-year veterans of the department.
Cunningham said, “Re- garding the progress of the De- Marcus Semer shooting case and its relationship to Chief Hobley-Burney’s adminis- trative leave status: That case still is under investigation by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, so the Fort Pierce Police Department cannot comment on it.
“However, Chief Hobley- Burney’s leave came as a re- sult of a letter written by a former employee, not because of the DeMarcus Semer shooting case. They are two separate situations.”
Cunningham said that about two or three days after the shooting, the investigation was turned over to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
It was originally slated for conclusion by July 5th. How- ever, the Sheriff’s Office stated that it would take about two ad- ditional weeks before it will be completed.
The Florida Chapter of the NAACP has called for an inde-
REGINALD SESSIONS City Commissioner
pendent investigation.
Deputy Chief James F. Felte, Jr., of the U. S. Depart- ment of Justice, Civil Rights Di- vision, responded to a letter from Mayor Linda Hudson on May 13, 2016.
In the response, Deputy Chief Felte said, “After the conclusion of that investigation, we will review the results for possible violations of the fed- eral criminal civil rights statutes and conduct any fur- ther investigation that may be appropriate.”
According to his obituary, Semer was born on September 19, 1994 and passed away on Sunday, April 24, 2016. He at- tended the public schools of Saint Lucie County, where he played baseball and football at Fort Pierce Central High School. Semer graduated in
Letter To City Commission
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A